DATA FLOW DIAGRAM

What is a data flow diagram?

A data flow diagram (DFD) maps out the flow of

information for any process or system. It uses
defined symbols like rectangles, circles and
arrows, plus short text labels, to show data inputs,
outputs, storage points and the routes between each
destination. 
 What is a data flow diagram?

Data flowcharts can range from simple,

even hand-drawn process overviews, to in-
depth, multi-level DFDs that dig
progressively deeper into how the data is
handled. They can be used to analyze an
existing system or model a new one.
 What is a data flow diagram?

Like all the best diagrams and charts,

a DFD can often visually “say” things
that would be hard to explain in
words, and they work for both
technical and nontechnical audiences,
from developer to CEO.
 What is a data flow diagram?

That’s why DFDs remain so popular after

all these years. While they work well for
data flow software and systems, they are
less applicable nowadays to visualizing
interactive, real-time or database-oriented
software or systems.
Symbols Used in Data
Flow Diagram
 What are Symbols Used and its meaning in the DFD?

1.
External Entity

An outside system that sends or receives data,

communicating with the system being diagrammed.
They are the sources and destinations of information
entering or leaving the system.
 What are Symbols Used and its meaning in the DFD?

2.
Process

Any process that changes the data, producing an

output. It might perform computations, or sort data
based on logic, or direct the data flow based on
business rules. A short label is used to describe the
process, such as “Submit payment.”
 What are Symbols Used and its meaning in the DFD?

3.
Data Store

Files or repositories that hold information for later

use, such as a database table or a membership form.
Each data store receives a simple label, such as
“Orders.”
 What are Symbols Used and its meaning in the DFD?

4.
Data Flow

The route that data takes between the external

entities, processes and data stores. It portrays the
interface between the other components and is
shown with arrows, typically labeled with a short
data name, like “Billing details.”
Rules in Data Flow
Diagram
 What are the Rules in DFD?

Each process should have at least

one input and an output.
Each data store should have at
least one data flow in and one
data flow out.
Data stored in a system must go
through a process.
All processes in a DFD go to
another process or a data store.